Yucatan, free of avian flu; quarantine is lifted

Three and a half months after the first case of avian influenza was detected in the State, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development lifted the internal quarantine on poultry farming in Yucatán, and the Yucatán Poultry Farmers Association announced that as of today they will begin to carry out their production work on a regular basis, which will allow the service to be regularized.

The withdrawal of the quarantine in Yucatan is the fourth authorized by the General Directorate of Animal Health (DGSA) of the National Service of Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality (Senasica), since the first detection of the virus in Mexico, in mid-October 2022.

The agency reported the lifting of restrictions in Yucatan, where there are currently no active outbreaks of the AH5N1 virus in Poultry Production Units (UPA) in the national territory, because, after Nuevo Leon, on November 23; Jalisco, on January 4; and in Sonora, on January 16.

The production facilities infected by the disease, a total of 15 farms and two units considered by the authorities and only nine for producers, were certified by the competent health authorities, said the leader of the Yucatan Poultry Farmers Association, Jorge Puerto Cabrera.

The State Secretariat of Rural Development (Seder) confirmed the decision of its federal counterpart and assured that, according to the sampling carried out by specialized veterinarians, there have been no cases for almost a month, and therefore, since no new infections have been detected during the four incubation periods of the virus, a period established to guarantee the absence of the disease, it was decided to lift the quarantine.

However, the Seder pointed out that in order to prevent new cases that could endanger the state and national poultry industry, the measures established in the National Animal Health Emergency Plan (Dinesa) and the vaccination of parent, breeding and commercial laying hens in strategic areas are being maintained, denying rumors circulating among small businesses and intermediary suppliers who speculated about shortages and price increases of eggs and chicken meat, products of the basic food basket.

Puerto Cabrera reiterated that there are enough eggs and that consumers should not worry because, in order to make up for the deficit, poultry farmers bought products from other states; however, he assured that transportation logistics are fallible and there have been delays.

He reminded that local poultry farmers supply not only Yucatan, but also Campeche, Quintana Roo, part of Tabasco and Chiapas; one third of the total production stays in the State and the rest goes out.

During a tour of stores in the city, partial shortages were detected in distributors, grocery stores, convenience stores, markets and supermarkets due to intermittent distribution; the average price of a kilogram of eggs is 50 pesos and in some stores it is quoted at 65; chicken is around 80 pesos.

From October to date, Senasica has confirmed avian flu in 13 Mexican states: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, State of Mexico, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Yucatán, with a total of 5.9 million birds affected, which represents less than 0.3 percent of national production.

TYT Newsroom